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I hate fishing shows. I hate the way they purposely set out to get a fish to bite a barbed hook which brutally tears into its flesh and then reel the poor thing in, pulling on that hook which must be causing excruciating pain.

Usually after quite a fight, the fish is yanked out of the water and held aloft for the camera. The hook is removed and the fish gasps for life while the super-proud angler describes why it’s a beauty and how catching one like this is a great achievement.

Many photos later, and after what must feel like an eternity to the fish, it’s tossed back in the water and the process starts all over again.

To mean it just seems so cruel and so bloody unnecessary.

I understand the food chain, but just hooking fish for the purposes of ‘entertainment’ is beyond my comprehension.

I always end up coming back to: if humans were treated like that, the outrage would be palpable and we’d seek our revenge.

The shark murder … sorry … shark ‘cull’ that the Western Australian Government decided to undertake has made news headlines around the world. And the world isn’t happy about it. And I’m glad! I’m glad that people are up in arms and are planning a protest on Saturday the 1st February. I’m glad that there are people out there who care about other species. I’m glad that there are people out there who won’t sit on their hands and let this senseless violence go unchallenged.

Why the idiots who run the state of WA decided it was reasonable to murder sharks willy-nilly is beyond just about everyone. There is no way such an abhorrent and brutal thing can even be justified.

The ocean is the habitat of the shark yet us humans seem to think we can just waltz in there and do whatever we damn well like with it. We can’t. It’s not ours. If a shark knocked on my door and tried to take a chunk out of me, then I might have something to say about it. But when they’re just minding their own business in their own home, they should be left in peace.

For too long, humans have killed indiscriminately for such lame reasons as certain other species are an inconvenience. If they don’t suit our needs, we just do away with them.

What is wrong with us? Why are we so defective? Why are we so barbaric and unfeeling?

Not everyone, of course. But there are still too many brutal humans who make life hell for anything and everything.

Just because we can swim in it and sail on it doesn’t mean that the ocean is fair game. The ocean is a home. Humans need to start respecting that the way we expect our personal territory to be respected. Imagine if a bunch of sea-life rocked up to our homes and dumped a pile of garbage, sewerage, and oil in our kitchens and then chopped up, harpooned, or hooked a couple of family members while they were there! We’d be outraged. Yet we have no qualms about doing that shit to them and their home.

Humans need to let go of our sense of entitlement. We need to butt-out of every other species business. We need to live and let live.

And a great big heartfelt thank you to everyone who is outraged and is making their voice heard. You have my enormous respect.